On May 13th, we were pleased to welcome Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, Sheila Malcolmson, to the DABC office. During the Minister’s visit, we provided her with a tour of the DABC office, and presented materials demonstrating the impact of our work. She also spoke to several DABC staff about why their work is important to them, and DABC Executive Director Helaine Boyd described the ways in which our services intersect, providing comprehensive supports for our clients.   

DABC staff were able to provide Minister Malcolmson with direct feedback on ways to make the PWD system better. The Minister also had a chance to step in on a client appointment with one of our Advocates, to see our work in real time. 

We are grateful for the funding we receive from the Province for several of our programs, including Tax AID. Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfHq5NmU-sQ to see a short video that features Minister Malcolmson speaking to Helaine Boyd and Cynthia Minh, Director of National Programs, about the free tax filing support DABC provides and the benefits of tax filing for people with disabilities living on low incomes. Notably, Tax AID helped clients access approximately $20 million in tax credits and benefits, just in the past year! 

Thank you again to Minister Sheila Malcolmson for taking the time to visit our office to learn more about our work and the issues important to our staff and clients.  

Today marks a major milestone for Disability Alliance BC! Vancouver City Council has officially approved our appointment as Lead Tenant for the new non-profit office space at 41st and Cambie in Vancouver. We are overjoyed to have been selected, alongside our valued partners Seniors First BC and Vancouver Black Therapy and Advocacy Foundation. We have lots of work to do as we prepare for the move later this year.

This move will provide us with much-needed additional space to better support our staff, volunteers, and clients. We are excited for the opportunity to collaborate with our new partners to create a welcoming space where individuals with disabilities, seniors, and members of the Black community can access necessary and specialized supports.

The new office space will be easily accessed by public transportation and will be designed with accessibility top of mind. All three of our organizations are guided by trauma-informed principles, ensuring that the new space will be intentionally inclusive and welcoming.

We look forward to sharing on the progress of our move through our e-newsletter, blog and social media.

Thank you to the City of Vancouver for providing us with this opportunity to grow as an organization.

Disability Alliance BC (DABC)’s nationally recognized Right Fit Program will lose its federal funding as of April 1, 2026, forcing the program to close and leaving hundreds of wheelchair users without critical housing support.

To highlight the urgent impact of this closure, DABC are inviting the media and any affected community members to attend a press conference on Thursday, April 2 at 12:00 PM at the Harmony Building (1451 East 12th Avenue, Vancouver). Harmony is a Brightside Homes development in the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood, featuring more than 30 accessible units and housing several Right Fit clients. Right Fit clients will be available for interviews.